Reply #24: I'd rather have the workers coming here, thanks [View All]

[0rganism]

I work with a lot of Indian and Chinese tech workers here on visas, and let me tell you they work hard. I mean really fucking hard. And they're sharp -- only the best are able to make the cut to get over here. Gates may be on to something, whether we like it or not.

The tech-worker immigrants treat their jobs with a level of reverence that I rarely see among native-born USians. And the same goes for their continuing educations: they'll work hard whether it's at a major university or a community college.

And keep in mind, they're not just squatting on their paychecks, they're recirculating that money through the local economy. Let's suppose for a moment that Gates is right, and there are too few qualified Americans, native or naturalized, to do the work. Would you really rather have all that work be off-shored so 100% of their salaries go overseas? Or would you rather bring the workers here to pay American taxes, American rent, American food? Moreover, wouldn't you rather those workers were here experiencing American labor conditions instead of the sweatshop model? I want the Indians and Chinese and whoever else to become accustomed to a relatively high standard of living; it sure beats us going the other way to make our labor standards match up with the 3rd world.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether Gates is right, or whether you agree with his assessment. He thinks he's right, and that's enough for him to set policy.